Reflections
Susan Taylor
The tablet PC has made some significant enhancements in my teaching and in the classroom environment and has lead to students who are more engaged in the learning process.
Group Work Through the use of the tablet PC’s I have incorporated group work in my Computer Technologies course that previously was not possible with a traditional computer classroom. This group work increased engagement and I was astounded how the classroom buzzed with energy during these collaborations. Additionally, attendance and the quality of work increased when my experimental classrooms were working on group projects with their tablet PCs. For the first time since I began teaching, my students actually talked to one another and learned each others names. It also helped that the tablet PC’s used less desk space, thus students faced me or one another and were not blocked by large monitors.
Mobility I am thrilled to have a tablet PC to use in the classroom. Being able to use the tablet both at school and at home has been wonderful and has improved my ability to prepare for and teach my courses. With this mobility I am able to work anywhere in the in the classroom, at home, and in student and college meetings. I have enjoyed the ability to take my tablet to students desks who ask me questions during class. Additionally it has made it easier for students to ask me questions, by their ability to bring their tablets to me to ask their questions. I don't always have to go see them. Additionally, I believe learning has been affected, because now students can learn from one another, because it is easier to bring their tablet PC to a classmate. Other aspects of the mobility of the tablet PCs that were positive included the ability to do presentations from their own tablet rather than having to use the computer at the podium. This meant less time for setup for presentations. Finally, because of this mobility students were able to take their tablet outside of the classroom to get a question answered at the library or to a quiet conference room to create a video.
Digital Ink Use the tablet pen to write feedback on submitted work has made this process faster and easier. Additionally, hand written lecture notes using OneNote has made it easier to share with students, review key points and refer back to when related material is presented. Finally, handwritten notes on PowerPoint slides make me want to use PowerPoint more often in the classroom.
Lessons LearnedA few negative aspects of the Tablet PCs are the setup and teardown time. To prevent theft and loss of these computers, my college has required that these computers be locked in between classes. Thus, when using the Tablet PC classroom I must account for a loss of instructional time due to set-up, boot up and tear-down of the Tablet PCs in each class. If I have a course in a different section of the college directly before my tablet pc course, students have to wait for me to unlock the cart before they are able to set them up. To minimize this negative aspect of the tablet PCs in the next year, I have requested 1.5 hour classes.
Ken Takvorian
Observations:- Students were involved with the lecture
- Students loved seeing their mistakes anonymously guided down the correct pathway
- Taking notes with the tablet was fun, engaging and interactive
- Color can enhance lectures and emphasize steps in problem solutions
- Interaction via Classroom Presenter aided the instructor in seeing student difficulties, where more explanation /detail needed to be given
- Students could observe that others were also struggling. They were not the only ones.
- Enjoyed coming to class, felt the learning experience was fun.